Beef Chuck Hachee

Ingredients

• 1¼ lb Beef Chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 onions, sliced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 tbsp apple butter or a slice of ontbijtkoek (Dutch spice cake), optional
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Pat the Beef Chuck dry, season with salt, and brown hard in butter in a Dutch oven — work in batches so it sears instead of steams. Set aside.
2. Cook the onions in the same pot until deeply golden, 10–12 minutes, then dust with flour and stir 1 minute.
3. Return the Beef Chuck with the stock, vinegar, bay leaves, and cloves, scraping the fond off the bottom. The vinegar-clove combination is the whole personality of hachee.
4. Cover and braise at a lazy simmer (or in a 325°F/165°C oven) for 90 minutes, until the beef relaxes into shreds at the touch of a fork.
5. Remove bay and cloves, stir in the apple butter for gloss and roundness, and season. Serve over boiled potatoes or with red cabbage.